Recipe of the Week: Better Than Bisquick Pancakes

I came up with the name for this recipe because I  used to love Bisquick pancake mix.  When I would prepare pancakes from scratch, they never tasted as good.  I used to buy the kind that you add oil and an egg to because I thought that was a little bit healthier, right?  Probably not.  Now that I found that I am allergic to soy and I gave up processed  food, I have created a yummy pancake recipe that tastes better than any pancake mix.  Maybe it tastes so much better because I know what is in them and there are no chemicals or toxins involved.  I make these maybe once a month because they are so rich.  So here is the recipe, my kids love them and you won't need much syrup because they are already sweet.  Instead of pouring maple syrup over them, we dip the pancakes in syrup so we use less syrup (real maple syrup is not cheap).



Better Than Bisquick Pancakes (not a low-fat meal)

2 cups all-purpose flour (use 1 cup organic whole wheat flour to add fiber)
2 Tablespoons sugar (I use Fair Trade raw cane sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder (Rumford brand states on the label that the corn starch is non-gmo)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 dashes sea salt
2 ½ cups organic buttermilk (it's the buttermilk that makes these taste so good)
2 organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted organic butter
1 tablespoon flax meal (optional, for added fiber)
Cooking oil (almond oil or organic canola oil work well)
Real Maple syrup (avoid the chemical laden pancake syrups, they are awful)

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix together.  Set aside.
In another bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Melt butter in the microwave, 30 seconds.  Stir to melt it.
Pour wet ingredients into dry.  Mix until combined, do not over mix.  Add melted butter and mix together, lightly.  Heat a skillet or griddle, brush lightly with oil.  Once the pan is hot, using a large spoon, scoop batter into pan and let one side brown lightly.  Using a spatula, carefully turn pancake over and lightly brown the other side.  Once cooked, place on a plate in a warm oven to keep the pancakes warm while they all cook.
Serve with maple syrup or fresh fruit and whipped cream*(good for dessert).
Makes enough 4-inch pancakes for 6 people, about 24 pancakes.  You can ½ the recipe for 12 pancakes.  Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a skillet or on a griddle.
Variation:
Add 1 cup blueberries to batter, serve by itself, no syrup.
Add 1 cup chocolate chips, to batter, serve by itself, no syrup.
Sift confectioners sugar over pancakes, with fresh berries or bananas.
Use whatever combination that you like.
*For whipped cream:  1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, whip with a wire whisk or with a mixer until light a fluffy.

Smoothies: Post-Workout Treat

Smoothie, originally uploaded by The Cooking Activist.

On Saturday mornings I train with a group of people for the upcoming fundraising race, The Be Her Freedom Run. This run benefits the A21Campaign organization that fights human trafficking on the ground. They rescue girls and children from the sex slave trade in Europe. The BHFR is hosted by Celebration Church and last year was the first year for the run.

This group of people, who are fellow members of Celebration Church, call themselves The Malinka Project. My friend Laura is the reason this project exists, it's her heart and her project. Basically, she wanted to get a group of people together that were passionate about the A21 Campaign's cause and train together and motivate each other to run the 4.7 miles of the BHFR. I joined the Malinka Project because I want to run the race and I want to train with people that are just as passionate about ending human trafficking as I. Becoming a part of this group has been an incredible blessing and I am thankful to have met Laura and experienced her passion and fire for this project.

Now that I am officially "in training", I need to make sure that I am eating properly to support my body so that it can operate at it's best. It is hard to run if you don't give your body the right fuel. Smoothies are an excellent way to recover after a tough workout. Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight, a smoothie is a really good option. I am reminded of the movie Rocky every time I have a smoothie. Just once, I want to add a raw egg to the blender and to see how it tastes! I think it would be pretty gross:-) Be mindful if you buy a smoothie from a store because they add sugar, sometimes a lot of sugar . The new McDonald's smoothies have 44 - 70 grams of sugar! That is about the same as soda!

So here are 2 recipes, one is my favorite and the other is for my husband. He is training for a 150 mile bike race and he burns tons of calories while riding. Today he burned 1800 calories during a 40 mile bike ride! He doesn't need to lose weight so I made him a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie to replenish those calories. The easiest way to add or subtract calories is with nut and seed butters, peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower, etc.
I buy my organic frozen fruit at Whole Foods Market.

If you want to lose weight:
Strawberry Banana Smoothie(my favorite)
Makes 32 ounces, approx 500 calories - 2 servings
½ frozen banana
5 frozen organic strawberries
10 pieces of frozen organic fruit - pick 2: strawberries, peaches, pineapples, mangos, handful(½ cup equals 5 pieces of fruit) of berries(blueberries, raspberries, etc)
1 tablespoon cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of whole milk
1 cup of 100% cranberry raspberry juice, no added sweeteners or replacement sweeteners
5 pieces of ice

Put all of the ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth. Add more juice if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Pour into a cup and enjoy. You can place half in the freezer for about 30 minutes so it stays frozen while you drink the rest. My kids love this smoothie.


If you want to maintain or gain weight:
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Makes 48 ounces, approx. 1230 calories
2 frozen bananas
2 cups of frozen fruit: peaches and strawberries or any combo you want
3 heaping spoonfuls (6 standard tablespoons) of peanut butter or your favorite nut butter adjust the peanut butter to taste.
1 cup of whole milk or alternate form of dairy: almond, coconut, hemp milk
2 cups of 100% juice, no added sweeteners…
Ice if you want
Add 1 tsp of vanilla for flavor if you want

Add everything to blender except 1 cup of the juice. Blend and add juice as necessary until smoothie is at the desired consistency. Pour in a cup and drink after a long run, bike ride, or when large amounts of calories are burned. This has a lot of peanut butter because of the protein and calories.

Be careful when buying fruits. You should know which to buy organic and which don't have to be organic. Here is a link to a slide-show for more information.

Recipe of the Week: Non-GMO Bacon and Cheese Quiche

IMAG0065, originally uploaded by The Cooking Activist.

Libby’s Bacon and Cheese Quiche

You don't need all organic ingredients to make this a non-gmo dish. If you would like, you can get organic flour, salt, and seasonings.  Sea salt has less sodium than table salt and, in my opinion, it tastes better.

Pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp sea salt
1 stick cold unsalted organic butter, cut into pieces, plus 1 tablespoon
3 to 4 tablespoons very cold water, from the refrigerator

I usually make my dough by hand but I have also included directions for using a stand mixer.

By Hand:
Place the flour, butter, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Using 2 knives, with 2 hands, cut the butter into the flour in a scissor-like fashion until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add water to mixture 1 tablespoon at a time and gather the flour and butter crumbs into a ball.  Be careful not to overwork the dough because the butter can start to melt and the dough is very delicate.  If it gets too wet or sticky, sprinkle a little flour over the dough.


With Stand Mixer:
A stand mixer will work but can also turn the dough into a paste if you aren't careful.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a dough hook attachment, combine the flour, salt and the butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the motor is running, add water in tablespoon increments until dough comes together to form a ball. If the dough is too wet or sticky, sprinkle a little flour over the dough.

Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a 4-inch flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days or it can be frozen for up to 1 month if you wrap it well to prevent freezer burn.  I typically use plastic wrap and a freezer bag when putting dough in the freezer.  When you are ready to use the dough, take it out of the fridge and roll out the pie crust, with a floured rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface to fit a deep 9 or 10-inch glass pie plate. Start in the middle of the dough and roll gently out toward the edges.  The dough needs to be circular in order to fit into the pie plate.  Place the dough in the pie plate and crimp edges decoratively, if you want. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Makes one bottom crust.


Quiche Filling
4 organic eggs
1 ½ cups organic cream
4 ounces chopped organic bacon
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
4 ounces shredded sharp organic cheddar cheese
1 (9-10 inch) unbaked pie shell(recipe above)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bacon slices on the sheet.  Place the bacon in the preheated oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until bacon is crispy and lightly browned.  Remove the bacon from the oven and place the pieces on a plate to cool. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.  Break the eggs into a medium bowl and add the cream.  Using a wire whisk, hand whip eggs and cream until mixed well.  Add seasoning to eggs and stir.  Gently mix in the cheese.  Once the bacon has cooled, break the strips into small pieces and add them to the egg mixture.  Pour the egg mixture into the unbaked pie crust.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.  Serve.

Recommended Sides: Potato salad and/or spinach salad.